


Alone Together

by Ninja_Librarian



Series: Voltron Whump Week 2017 [8]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Day 8: Free Day, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Gen, It's gen but there's ships if you squint, Migraine, Mild vomitting, No Season 3 Spoilers, Pain-killer High Shiro, Shiro's friends love him very much and worry about him very much, Shiro's sinuses make him miserable, Sick Shiro, Vertigo - Freeform, Voltron Whump Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-17 23:35:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11861988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ninja_Librarian/pseuds/Ninja_Librarian
Summary: I’m outside the door, invite me inSo we can go back and play pretendI’m on deck, yeah, I’m up nextTonight I’m high as a private jet‘Cause I don’t know where you’re goingBut do you got room for one more troubled soul?I don’t know where I'm goingBut I don't think I’m coming home and I saidI’ll check in tomorrow if I don’t wake up deadThis is the road to ruinAnd we’re starting at the endSay yes.Day 8: Free DayFive times the scar on Shiro's face messed with his health and made his friends worry. And the one time he gave in to doing something about it, and his friends freaked out...





	Alone Together

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by this post: https://ninja-librarian.tumblr.com/post/147168625282/shiros-scar#notes

“We are horrible people,” Hunk said, fingers in his hair, head between his knees. “We are the worst, most terrible people in the entire universe.”

“There’s a lot of people on this planet—and many others—that would say otherwise.” Allura commented, gently patting Hunk on the back while watching Lance nervously pace back and forth. She broke away her glance to check on Pidge—who was curled up in a ball in her chair, her closed laptop pressed against her chest, biting her thumbnail—and Keith—leaning against the wall, arms folded over his chest, expression darker than usual, which Allura didn’t even know was possible.

She sighed. “Come now, there is no need for dramatics.”

“No need for dramatics!” Lance repeated, turning on his heel, the soles of his sneakers squeaking on the floor as he turned to her, waving his arms wildly. “We completely convinced our friend and leader to have surgery for a non-life threatening issue!”

“Lance, we all know that while it is not a life-threatening issue, the procedure is by no means unnecessary.” Allura said, taking a deep breath. What was that thing Shiro was always saying? Patience yields focus?

“But we did gang up on him,” Keith said.

“You just want what’s best for him,” Allura assured.

“He was terrified, and it’s all our fault.” Pidge whispered, sniffling slightly.

Allura’s shoulders slumped.

The Paladins were going to be completely inconsolable until Shiro was in post-op and ready to head back to the Castle, she just knew it.

However, she and Coran were glad that an issue was being addressed. An issue that Shiro repeatedly claimed wasn’t anything but an small issue, despite mounting evidence that it was something much greater.

*

It started several months prior. 

After several days of battles, the day was slow, giving the on-edge team a chance to recover and relax. They all ended up in the lounge, watching what was essentially old Altean rom-com movies.

Keith noticed it first, reaching over to hit Lance’s arm with a shush when the Blue Paladin laughed a little too loudly at a one-liner that was undoubtedly about to become the meme of the week. Lance immediately turned, ready to angrily demand a reason for the assault, but Keith just pointed at the corner of the couch.

Shiro was leaning back in the corner, arms folded over his chest, head tilted slightly to the side, sound asleep.

“Aww…” Hunk cooed softly. “Do you think he needs a blanket? He looks like he needs a blanket…”

“He probably needs to get in an actual bed,” Allura said.

“Ah, leave him be for now,” Coran said. “At least until the end of this one.”

Everyone silently resolved to be quiet so as to not disturb Shiro as they watched the last half of the movie.

However, the sudden, loud, foreign sound made them all jump.

“What the heck was that?” Lance whispered, looking at Allura and Coran. “Some sort of alarm?”

“No,” Allura said, looking around as Coran paused the movie.

The sound repeated.

“It’s going to wake up Shiro,” Keith said irritably. The others were fairly certain he would stab whatever was making the noise, and that ‘fairly certain’ became ‘completely certain’ as his hand reached around to his knife holster on his back.

“Uh, I think it’s coming from Shiro?” Pidge said. She closed up her laptop and set it aside. Being the closest to Shiro, she got on her knees and leaned forward some, squinting as she watched him sleep.

Even though it was what she was waiting for, she nearly fell off the couch at the sudden reoccurrence of the sound.

Sure enough, the sound was originating from the sleeping Shiro.

“Do… Do humans usually roar in their sleep?” Allura asked quietly.

“He’s not roaring, he’s snoring.” Hunk said, relaxing with the realization. “He just happens to snore like a freight train.”

“What exactly is this ‘snoring’?” Coran asked.

“Snoring is the sound that results in sleeping with a partially obscured airway,” Hunk explained. “It’s pretty normal for humans, though suddenly starting snoring can indicate health problems.”

Pidge frowned and adjusted her glasses. “I… I think Shiro snoring is a new thing. And it could possibly be one of those health problems.”

“What makes you say that?” Keith asked.

“Shiro and Matt roomed together every year at the Garrison. Matt’s a pretty light sleeper. Trust me, if Shiro snored, Matt would have complained to me about it.” Pidge said.

“I’m a light sleeper, too, and Hunk’s a snorer and we get along fine as long as I’ve got my headphones.” Lance said. He turned to Hunk and added, “Though I promise I will never complain about your snoring again, dude. Your snores sound like kitten sneezes compared to Shiro’s foghorn blasts.”

“Yeah, Matt might have done the same thing you do, but not without complaining first or trying to get a room reassignment.” Pidge said.

“So then what could be the cause of this new development in Shiro’s sleeping patterns?” Allura asked.

Pidge’s response was to curve her index finger over the bridge of her nose.

“The scar, of course, that makes sense.” Hunk said.

Pidge nodded. “The scar tissue is most likely blocking the air from flowing through his nasal cavities.”

“Most likely?” Keith repeated.

“Well, I’m not planning on sticking anything up Shiro’s nose to be absolutely certain,” Pidge snapped.

“Yeah… Shiro loves you, Pidge, but there’s no way he’d let you do that without seeing a med school diploma first,” Lance said.

“Maybe not even then.” Hunk added. “But I think you’re right, medical degree or not. Plus Shiro’s nose looks like it got broken and not set right, so that just adds to the problems…”

Suddenly, Shiro’s snore cut off midway and he jerked up, eyes opening, looking a little dazed.

“Good not-morning,” Hunk said.

“Not-morning?” Keith repeated, giving Hunk a weird look.

“Well, it’s not morning, it’s like afternoon, but you don’t say ‘good afternoon’ after someone wakes up.” Hunk said. “It’s just weird to do that.”

“I fell asleep?” Shiro asked, voice sounding a bit rough and he winced slightly.

“More like you power-napped,” Pidge said, reopening her laptop.

“Oh,” Shiro said, slumping into the couch, looking sheepish. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, the whole point of movie day was to relax,” Lance said, waving a hand. “It obviously worked.”

“Yeah, well, you guys shouldn’t have felt like you had to turn off the movie because I dozed off,” Shiro said, eyes flickering to the paused screen.

“We kind of didn’t do so and did need to,” Coran said.

Shiro’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“According to the other Paladins, you smore.” Allura said.

“Snore,” Hunk corrected. “And, yeah, man, you sound like a lawnmower starting up.”

Shiro’s cheeks were suddenly tinged pink. “Sorry,” He said again.

“Not your fault,” Lance said as Chuchule climbed on top of Shiro’s head, giving him an affectionate pat while the other three mice climbed onto his lap. “It just kind of took us by surprise.”

“You feeling okay?” Keith asked, frowning slightly.

“Tired, but I think we all are,” Shiro said. “Why?”

“Because there’s no way someone can snore like that and not feel like absolute crap,” Pidge answered, not looking up from her laptop.

“I’m fine,” Shiro said, almost defensively. His face said to drop it.

They did, resuming the movie after a brief change of topic to discuss having dinner when the movie was over.

Everything settled back down, and resumed normalcy.

*

However, it did not take long for the Paladins to realize that normal had not resumed.

In fact, something else had just begun.

Hunk noticed it first, while they were on the mountain planet of Appalbania. The rugged terrain was too difficult to land the Castle, let alone the Lions. Not even Hunk’s Lion could find a good place to land, even though the Yellow Lion was the Guardian Spirit of land.

In order to make contact with the people on Appalbania, the Paladins needed to land their Lions at the bottom of the mountains and hike their way up.

The hike started off well, as there was a path worn into the side of the mountain, which they climbed single-file. Hunk was right behind Shiro, and noticed that his footing was getting shakier and at one point Shiro nearly slipped, and Hunk had to catch him.

“You okay, man?” Hunk asked as he helped Shiro get upright.

“Yeah, that rock wasn’t as sturdy as I thought,” Shiro said, giving him a small smile that Hunk thought was a little forced. 

They found a small place off the trail to rest and eat. Hunk and Coran distributed rations of food and water. Hunk watched Shiro carefully, noticing that everyone else was scarfing down the food and water and having small conversations. Meanwhile, Shiro took a small bite out of his ration bar, chewed it slowly, wincing, then recovered the bar, sticking it in a pouch on his belt.

Hunk carefully moved over to Shiro’s side. “Hey,” He said.

“Hey,” Shiro said. “Everything okay?”

“I feel like I should be asking you that question,” Hunk said. “What’s up, don’t like the food we brought?”

“No, it’s good, just… not hungry…” Shiro said.

As if to contradict his statement, Shiro’s stomach growled. His cheeks flushed as Hunk arched an eyebrow.

“Not hungry, I gotcha.” Hunk said sarcastically.

Shiro frowned and said, “Okay, fine. I am hungry. But my head is killing me…”

“We’ve got some painkillers,” Hunk said, reaching into his pouch for the bottle. “Here. Take some.”

“Thanks,” Shiro said, accepting the pills, swallowing them along with a gulp of water. He flinched and pressed the palm of hand to his cheek with a small groan.

“Is it just a headache?” Hunk asked in concern.

“My mouth hurts…” Shiro said. “It’s not like when you have a cavity or something. The bones in my jaw hurt. Makes it hard to chew.”

“Sounds like it’s not a headache, but sinus pressure,” Hunk said. “My mom gets sinus headaches like that. She eats a lot of soup when she gets them. Sorry we don’t have anything other than these ration bars for you to eat.”

“Not your fault,” Shiro said. “It’s probably the elevation.”

Hunk nodded, then had a thought. “Does it hurt when you’re flying? Or whenever the Castle takes off?”

“The Black Lion is pretty stabilized, and sometimes it hurts when the Castle takes off from a planet,” Shiro admitted. “But it’s not bad. I adjust quickly most of the time.”

“That’s not cool, man.” Hunk said. “Do your ears hurt, too?”

“It’s not bad,” Shiro said. “It happens with altitude changes. I used to get it while flying in Earth’s atmosphere, too.”

“Yeah, same, but I don’t think the rest of us are suffering like this.” Hunk said. “You should get back down to a lower altitude.”

“I’ll be fine, I’ll adjust,” Shiro said. “Don’t worry.”

Hunk frowned, but knew Shiro would push through rather than be considered a liability on the mission. “Okay, but do me one favor.”

“What’s that?” Shiro asked.

“Put your helmet on, and put the visor up,” Hunk said. “The helmet gives us oxygen. Your body isn’t getting enough oxygen right now.”

Shiro nodded and put his helmet on, activating the lower visor.

“Thanks, Shiro.” Hunk said.

“No, thank you, Hunk,” Shiro said. “I wouldn’t have thought to do this. It’s already feeling a little better.”

Hunk gave him a small pat on the shoulder. “Rest up, Allura’s going to get us going far sooner than we’d like.”

Hunk walked away feeling a bit better about the situation, but with an uneasiness in his gut.

What else was Shiro hiding regarding his health?

*

It was supposed to be a simple infiltration mission. Land the invisible Green Lion on the hull of a Galra cruiser, Pidge was supposed to hack the computer with Shiro guarding her back, while Keith, Lance and Hunk kept the crew and fleet of fighters occupied.

Pidge was over halfway through the download when suddenly the entire ship rocked back and forth.

“Hey, guys, be careful!” Pidge called through the comms. “Remember, me and Shiro are still on here!”

“Sorry, fighter spun out of control.” Lance said. 

“You should hurry it up, though, don’t think this cruiser’s going to last very long, and they’re probably going to wormhole out.” Keith said.

“Roger that,” Shiro said. “Pidge, how much longer?”

“And… Done!” Pidge said, starting to swipe up the equipment. She grinned up at Shiro. “Let’s get out of here.”

Shiro nodded and the two headed back towards the Green Lion.

They were halfway there when the ship rocked again, almost sending Pidge tumbling.

“Whoa,” Pidge said. She glanced behind her, seeing Shiro gripping a beam on the wall. “Shiro, you good?”

“Yeah,” Shiro said, not looking up at her, eyes on his feet, panting slightly. 

She frowned. Was it her imagination or was he sweating? “Shiro?”

Shiro lifted his head and took a step forward, only to tumble to the ground as the ship shook again.

“Shiro!” Pidge cried out, getting to his side as he was already pushing himself up to his feet. “Are you okay?”

Shiro swayed and Pidge desperately tried to keep him upright. He didn’t answer. Pidge bit her lip. “Come on, we got to go, we need to get you back to the Castle.”

Shiro nodded slightly, taking a few steps forward, leaning heavily on Pidge. Frankly, Pidge wished he wasn’t mostly because he was heavy. Shiro was easily twice her height and three times her weight, and pretty much all muscle. But she just held on tighter, one arm around his waist, the other on his arm slung over her shoulder.

They were almost to the Green Lion when the ship lurched again, and Shiro pulled away from her, turning to fall to the floor, vomiting.

“Quizank,” Pidge swore as she picked Shiro up again.

“Sorry,” Shiro mumbled, quickly wiping at his lips with the back of his hand.

“Are you sick?” Pidge asked as she dragged him—almost quite literally—to the entrance of the Green Lion. “Try not to puke, you need your visor up.”

Shiro nodded, activating his visor as the two boarded the Green Lion. Pidge dragged him towards the pilot’s seat, hoping to keep an eye on Shiro as she piloted.

“Why didn’t you say something earlier?” She asked as she began piloting. “That you weren’t feeling well?”

“I was feeling fine until the ship started shaking,” Shiro said, gripping tightly to the side of Green. “Then I just started feeling off-balance, even as the ship steadied.”

Pidge frowned. “We’ll get you checked out back at the Castle, okay?”

A few minutes later, Pidge was impatiently tapping her foot as Shiro removed the pieces of his armor where he sat on the infirmary exam table, waiting for Coran to join them from the bridge.

“Don’t you have data to go over?” Shiro asked.

“Yes, but data can wait,” Pidge said. “Want help removing your chest plate?”

“Yeah, please,” Shiro said. “And I never thought I’d hear you say that data can wait.”

“I have my priorities, and you’re one of them,” Pidge said as she helped him remove the piece of armor. “How are you feeling?”

“Better. Still dizzy, but better.” Shiro said. “Sorry for mostly being dead weight. I wasn’t that great of a bodyguard this mission, huh?”

“You were fine, big guy,” Pidge said, gently patting his shoulder. “Obviously something’s wrong, though, and we need to figure out what.”

Just then, Coran walked into the infirmary. “And how is our patient?”

“I’m fine, Coran,” Shiro answered.

“Obviously not or Number Five here wouldn’t have had to—oh, what is that expression Lance used? Oh yes, _haul ass_ to get you back here.”

Pidge snickered at that and Shiro sighed, scrubbing his face with his biological hand. “That’s another one for the swear jar, Lance…” Shiro mumbled.

“Alright, then,” Coran said. “What seems to be the main issues?”

Shiro explained, with Pidge elaborating in areas she felt Shiro was downplaying the symptoms, though she was surprised when he willingly added one she didn’t know about, which was that his ears were ringing. Coran nodded, stroking his mustache in thought.

“I’ve got several ideas,” He said when Shiro and Pidge finished. “But I want to test one theory in particular. Scoot a bit further down on the table if you would, Number One.”

Shiro moved over on the table and Coran moved the pillow down the table some. Coran gently placed one hand on Shiro’s chin and the other on the back of his head. “I’m going to turn your head, and I want you to let me do so, alright, Number One?”

“Alright,” Shiro said, relaxing some in Coran’s grip.

Pidge watched as Coran turned Shiro’s head, then he said, “Alright, now I’m going to lay you back, and your head is going to go past the pillow, understand?”

“Understand,” Shiro said.

Coran gently laid Shiro back and turned Shiro’s head from side to side. Then Coran moved his hands. “Alright, you can sit up again. My theory was correct.”

“What do I have?” Shiro asked as he carefully sat up, swinging his legs over the table again.

“Vertigo,” Coran said. “I was watching your eyes the whole time. Your eyes made some circular movements as I moved your head. Have you had these sort of attacks before?”

“Not so that I’ve thrown up before,” Shiro admitted. “But, yes.”

“Then we’ll work to prevent future attacks, and I’ll work on finding a medication to help balance you out. Let me get a blood sample from you to make sure this isn’t virus induced, too,” Coran said. “And go rest up.”

Shiro’s blood sample was taken and Pidge walked Shiro back to his room.

“I’m glad that, so far, it’s not as bad as it could be,” Pidge said as they walked. “You really had me worried there.”

“Sorry,” Shiro said, giving her a small smile. “Trust me, not my intention.”

“I know,” Pidge said. “I just… I’ve lost Dad and Matt, and I can’t lose you, too. Well, I guess that’s really ‘again’ instead of ‘too’. But promise me one thing? That you’ll tell us when you think you’re having a vertigo attack?”

“I promise, Pidge,” Shiro said as they stopped at his bedroom door. “Just as long as you don’t worry too much.”

Pidge nodded.

But as she watched Shiro enter his room, she resolved to keep her promise just as well as Shiro did.

*

Lance was excited; one on one sessions with Shiro were rare, and Lance looked forward to them. He liked showing off what he had been working on alone, liked getting feedback from Shiro, and generally liked spending time with Shiro. Sometimes they flew their Lions together, sometimes they sparred hand-to-hand or—like today—they would be going over some things with Lance’s bayard.

Even though Lance was excited, he could easily see that something was bothering Shiro and had been ever since that morning at breakfast. He took a little longer to respond to questions, he blinked a little too long or too quickly, was sniffling every now and then, and he barely touched his food goo. Lance couldn’t blame him for the last part. Food goo was an acquired taste, and Lance was sure it took a few centuries for that taste to be acquired.

Still, once breakfast was officially over, Shiro was ready to hit the training deck. “Ready?”

“I was born ready,” Lance answered, jumping to his feet.

They walked to the training deck together, and Shiro asked Lance what he had been working on and what he wanted to work on that day. Lance told him in great detail, but watched Shiro the entire time out of the corner of his eye. Shiro’s steps were a little slower, and he seemed to be nodding but not really listening, occasionally reaching up to rub at his nose slightly. They got to the door to the training deck and Lance said, “Hey man, you feeling okay?”

“I’m fine, why?” Shiro said, way too quickly for Lance’s liking. Like it was a knee-jerk response.

“You seem a bit off,” Lance said. “If you’re not feeling well, we can do this some other time…”

“No,” Shiro said, shaking his head slightly. “No. I’m fine. I was just thinking about something. Sorry. I’m ready to focus on this session one hundred percent.”

Lance nodded, not quite sure if he believed Shiro.

In Lance’s opinion, the session started well. And by ‘started well’, he meant that he got in three good shots before all hell sort of broke loose.

Because Lance had just barely pulled the trigger on that third shot when Shiro hit the ground, his head in his hands. Lance dropped his bayard and dropped to his knees beside Shiro.

“Shiro? Shiro, are you okay? What’s going on?” Lance asked, eyes wide, heart pounding. He wouldn’t have even realized that he was shouting except for Shiro groaning and saying, “Not so loud, Lance…”

Lance helped Shiro sit up slowly, Shiro wincing all the while.

“Shiro, you’re not okay,” Lance said. “What happened?”

“Woke up with headache,” Shiro said through gritted teeth, pressing his palms to his eyes. “Was doing okay… A little nauseous, but okay… But the light from your bayard was really, really bright…”

Lance nodded, taking a deep breath.

“Sounds like you’ve got a migraine,” He said. He frowned slightly, gently pressing the back of his hand to Shiro’s forehead. “And you’ve got a fever… Keep your eyes closed but move your hands.” Shiro did so and Lance gingerly felt Shiro’s cheekbones. “You’ve got some swelling here, too… And you’ve been sniffling pretty much all morning, so I think it’s safe to say you’ve got a runny nose… You’ve not just got a migraine, but a sinus migraine.”

“Great,” Shiro said with a sigh. “Just… Just great… I’m sorry.”

“Dude, not your fault you’re feeling like crap right now,” Lance said. “Come on, let’s get you to your room… It’ll be dark and quiet there, and I’ll get you some meds.”

“Still, sorry,” Shiro mumbled as Lanced helped him to his feet, slinging one of Shiro’s arms over Lance’s shoulders. “You were looking forward to this training session.”

“Shiro, don’t worry about it,” Lance said. “Training sessions are useless if the head of Voltron can’t even form the head, right?”

“Not the point,” Shiro mumbled. “How’d you figure it out? That I had a migraine?”

“My older brother gets them sometimes,” Lance said. “Sometimes it’s for various reasons, like a bad storm front or a really strong smell. But he always gets one whenever he has a cold or a sinus infection.”

Shiro nodded vaguely, then winced, seeming to regret that action. They were both silent the rest of the trip to Shiro’s room. Once there, Lance led Shiro to his bed, easing him gently into a seated position on the edge.

“Let me get your boots off,” Lance said, already kneeling down.

“Lance, you don’t have to do that,” Shiro said. “I can get them…”

“You don’t need to be bending over, and you don’t need to be wearing boots to bed. That’s for weirdoes like Keith. Granted,” Lance said as he pulled off one of Shiro’s boots. “Keith probably has some messed up childhood trauma. I mean he also sleeps with a knife… I know way more about Keith’s sleeping habits than I would like, actually… Forget I said anything.”

By that point, both boots were off and Lance was getting Shiro to lay down. “I’m going to go grab you some medicine and an ice-pack or something. Be right back.”

Ignoring Shiro’s protests as he left, Lance quickly tracked down the items he was looking for, and brought them back to Shiro, who quickly accepted the items despite his previous assertions that he didn’t need them.

Lance stayed quiet, watching Shiro in the dark as the older teen lay still but not relaxed on his bed, breathing deeply through his mouth. Lance bit his lip, then whispered, “Hey, Shiro? Do you mind if I do something kinda weird but it might make you feel a whole lot better?”

Shiro didn’t respond for a moment, then said quietly, “How weird is kinda weird?”

Lance took a deep breath and said, “Let me massage your face?”

Shiro was quiet again. Then, “Lance, that’s beyond kinda weird…”

“I’ll feel good, I promise,” Lance said. “It’s going to relieve some of that pressure you’re feeling. I’ve done it before.”

“Alright then…” Shiro said. “Go ahead.”

Lance moved from Shiro’s feet to Shiro’s head, rubbing his hands together to warm them up before gently applying pressure to various spots on Shiro’s face with his thumbs.

Lance worked quietly, watching as the tension left Shiro’s shoulders and he actually relaxed. “Feeling any better?” He asked quietly.

“A lot,” Shiro said, propping himself up slightly. “Except now my sinuses are draining.”

“That’s good, it means it worked,” Lance said as Shiro grabbed a handful of space-tissues—much like Earth tissues, but both softer and sturdier—and blew his nose. “It’s better to get that gunk out of your head. Relieves the pressure.”

“Between that and the meds, the migraine has become a really bad headache,” Shiro said. Lance nodded and stood up.

“You should probably rest up,” He said. “I’ll leave you alone so you can take a nap or something. I’ll let Allura and the others know not to bug you.”

“Thank you,” Shiro said as he laid back down. “For everything. Sorry our training session got ruined.”

“No big deal,” Lance said with a shrug. “I like spending time with you. And I did. And I just want you to feel better.”

“Thanks,” Shiro said again. Lance nodded and turned towards the door. “Lance?” Lance paused and looked over his shoulder. Shiro gave him a smile. “I like spending time with you, too.”

Lance grinned so wide he was sure his face was going to split in two.

“Thanks, Shiro,” He said.

Lance left the room, planning on heading back to the training deck for an hour or two.

On one hand, he was really happy.

On the other hand, he was also pretty worried.

How often did Shiro try to suffer in silence, and how often had he and the others completely overlooked Shiro’s discomfort?

*

Keith was angry, and he was making sure Shiro knew it.

Shiro narrowed his eyes, well aware that Keith was angry.

“I said I was sorry,” Shiro said before he started coughing into his fist again. “And I’m resting.”

“You’re resting begrudgingly,” Keith countered. “After I dragged you in here, after you passed out on the training deck, after everyone’s been asking you if you were feeling alright and after you lied to each and every one of us that you were okay. And you’re not really resting, this is sedentary spite.”

Shiro frowned at Keith.

“I was doing fine,” He grumbled.

“No, you were being stubborn.” Keith argued. “You could have told us you were sick from the beginning. We’d have figured something out.”

“Keith, I can’t always take a sick day. What if Zarkon attacks?”

“If Zarkon attacks, we handle it like Paladins. Like we always do. Maybe just without you. Remember that time we got snuck up on by a fleet while Hunk was in a healing pod? We did just fine then. Or that time that Lance was stuck on planet with Allura, evacuating that village, or that time—”

“I get it Keith.” Shiro said flatly. Or maybe his tone of voice just sounded flat because he was so congested. Keith couldn’t tell. “But I can’t take a sick day every time I get stuffed up.”

Keith suddenly sat up straighter in his chair, scowling. “Wait, every time?” He repeated. “What does that mean?”

Shiro frowned. “Nothing.”

“No, it’s not nothing,” Keith said, feeling anger rise up in him. “This isn’t the first time you’ve been sick… You’ve been hiding it from us all this time! How often do you get these colds?”

“Keith, it’s not just colds or sinus infections,” Shiro said with a huff. “It’s all the pressure in my head, and the ringing in my ears… Keith, it’s constant. It’s usually better but today it’s worse. You think I got a day off to be sick when I was a prisoner? No, so I can’t expect to get a day off to be sick while fighting Zarkon.”

Keith’s shoulders slumped, feeling all of the anger leave him. He stood up and moved to sit beside Shiro.

“Shiro, I’m sorry,” He said. “For getting angry, and that you’re always feeling like crap. Please, let us help you when it gets bad. We’ll figure out something, because none of this can be good for you. Yeah, we’ve got to take down Zarkon and the Galra Empire, but we need all of our Paladins in top shape in order to do that.”

Shiro hesitated, but nodded. “Okay. You win. But you’ve got to promise me something in return.”

“What’s that?” Keith asked.

“Don’t worry about me that much. The concern is nice, but you and the others can’t be worrying about me all the time.” Shiro said.

Keith frowned. “I can’t easily make that promise. But I promise I’ll try.”

Shiro nodded. “Good enough.” he said, then started coughing again.

Keith hesitated, then said, “Look, you know I’m not much of a hugger. I’m not good with the whole ‘display of affection’ thing. But you’re sick and honestly look like you need a hug. So, uh, awkward hug?”

Shiro smiled. “Yeah, awkward hug.”

Keith carefully wrapped his arms around Shiro, getting a squeeze from Shiro in return.

“I’ve been blessed…” Shiro said when Keith let him go, smirking slightly. “I got a rare Keith hug…”

Keith rolled his eyes, gently punching Shiro on the shoulder in a playful manner. “Your fever must be higher than I thought,” He said. “You’re delusional.”

“Not my fault that Mothman or Bigfoot or aliens are more likely to be spotted than you willingly giving someone a hug.”

“Shiro.”

“The cryptid lover doesn’t even realize that his love is the real cryptid all along…”

“Shiro. Stop.”

“I’m sick, I get to do what I want.”

“Oh, so _now_ you admit you’re sick?”

“I am starting to see the advantages of my current situation.”

Keith rolled his eyes and stood up. “Rest up, okay? Just because we can handle something if you’re down for the count, doesn’t mean we want to. We still need you. So take a nap or something for now.”

“Will do,” Shiro said, settling into his stack of pillows. “And, Keith? Thanks.”

“Anytime,” Keith said as he headed for the door.

He glanced over his shoulder briefly as the door closed behind him.

He hated seeing his friends in pain, especially Shiro.

They had to find a way to fix this, a way to help Shiro.

*

The answer came unexpectedly two months later, when they received a distress signal from a planet whose name none of the Paladins could pronounce, and after trying several times gave up and started referring to as the ‘Space Hospital’.

This planet was known for the inhabitants’ medical expertise. They had much more freedom than most planets, the Paladins discovered, because of this. However, the freedom came at high costs. Their best students and specialists were often forced off planet to serve as medical officers at Galra outposts and aboard ships. Those who remained were often brought injured Galra to treat with Druid-designed apparatuses and prisoners for experimentations, both of which the natives fought against and were punished severely for their refusal.

The planet’s top chemist had been chosen to create a new super-drug for Galra soldiers. An older, single man with no children or other family, he thought he would be the one receiving punishment and no one would be hurt or imprisoned in order to coerce him. The Galra commander realized this, and took all of the planet’s children captive as well as those who were pregnant—giving the latter group the prospective of giving birth in unsanitary situations without any aid.

Team Voltron arrived and took down the Galra stationed there and helped evacuate the children and pregnant ones to safety. The chemist ended up playing a large part in the victory, as he proved to the commander that the solution was safe by injecting it into himself; it worked, but when the commander injected it into his own body in an attempt to fight the Paladins as they were getting out the last group of children, the commander realized too late that one of the key ingredients was a poison for Galra.

As the Paladins helped in reuniting families and a general clean-out of any remaining Galra drones and tech, they were approached by the planet’s leader.

“We can’t thank you enough, Paladins of Voltron,” The leader told them, giving them a small bow.

“It’s what we are here for,” Shiro said. “No thanks needed.”

The leader focused on Shiro for a moment and said, “It may be your job, but we are still grateful. And… Black Paladin, how long have you had that scar on your face?”

Shiro frowned. “Um, a while now. I’m not entirely sure when I got it, just that I got it while I was a prisoner of Zarkon’s.”

The leader frowned. “I have seen some of the unfortunate beings who have had the misfortune of being Zarkon’s prisoner. I am sorry that you were one of them, Black Paladin. Especially as I know that far too often they are brought here in pain and their quality of life is compromised because of the lack of care the guards and Druids provide. From visual examination alone—and not in good lighting either—I can tell that the Druids put more effort into healing your arm rather than the facial injury. Does your species have sinus cavities?”

“Yes, and they got a bit affected by the injury,” Shiro admitted. “Not too bad, though. It doesn’t hinder serving as a Paladin.”

Keith, Lance, Hunk and Pidge exchanged a glance with each other, then all narrowed their eyes at Shiro’s back.

Yep, they were going to be getting on his back about that later…

Apparently, the leader wasn’t buying it either.

“This is not my area of expertise, but I do have an idea of the pain that this could cause. Ringing in the ears, bad reactions to atmospheric pressure changes, severe headaches, infections, how it can affect the middle ear…” He said.

Behind Shiro, the other four Paladins nodded, which the leader noticed, even as Shiro was saying, “Really, it’s manageable.”

Suddenly, the leader’s face brightened with realization and the unmistakable, universal expression of having an idea. “Black Paladin, I understand that you and your fellow Paladins do not need an expression of gratitude, but may I offer one anyway?”

“That kind of depends,” Shiro said, brow furrowing slightly.

“Wait here, while I go fetch someone,” The leader said, then he hurried away, searching through the crowds and calling a name, leaving behind five confused Paladins.

“What do you think that’s all that about?” Lance asked.

“I don’t know,” Shiro admitted.

“I hope it’s not some of those weird fungi that we got that one time,” Hunk said. “I mean, the gesture was nice but even Coran didn’t have a clue what they were for.”

The leader returned leading a female, who had a small child on her hip, her husband and older children following.

“Paladins of Voltron, this is Snilia,” The leader said, introducing the female, who nodded. “She is one of our best surgeons on the planet, and specializes in the upper respiratory systems of five thousand different species in the universe.” He turned to Snilia. “The Black Paladin was formerly a prisoner of Zarkon, and the injury he has sustained has affected his sinus cavities.”

“So I see,” Snilia said, passing off the child to her husband. She took a step forward and said, “Black Paladin, may I please examine you?”

“Um…” Shiro said, cheeks heating at being put on the spot.

“All I require is for you to tilt your head backwards and for me to put my fingers on your face,” Snilia said. “It will only take a moment.”

“Alright then…” Shiro said, still sounding hesitant. Snilia had to stand on her toes slightly to put her hands on Shiro’s face, humming slightly as she trailed over the scar. She directed him to tilt his head back and she nodded.

“I cannot do anything in regards to the appearance of the scar, but I can remove the scar tissue that is inside of your nasal passages, realign your septum, and do a cleansing of your sinus cavities,” Snilia said. “It will not restore your body to the same standard of health prior the injury, but it will help you in the long run.” She suddenly bowed before Shiro. “It would be a pleasure and an honor to perform this procedure for you, in thanks for all that you and your fellow Paladins have done for my home and family.”

“I… I don’t…” Shiro started to say.

“Shiro, you should have the procedure,” Pidge said. “You’d feel so much better…”

“It will have to go through Allura; we don’t know how long we can stay.” Shiro argued.

“We all know Allura wants her Paladins to be in prime shape for battle,” Lance said. “She’d let us stay a while longer, especially for something this important.”

“It’s not important, the injury is practically nothing.” Shiro said.

“Uh, no dude, it’s not,” Hunk said. “You’ve nearly passed out on us too many times between the pressure changes, the vertigo, the migraines, not to mention that time you didn’t let us know you had a cold…”

“I’m still not sure—” Shiro started to say. But, to his dismay, it was Keith who drove in the final nail in the coffin.

“You don’t want us to worry about you all the time. You’ve given each and every one of us a reason to worry, all within the last, what, four months? And who knows what else you’re hiding from us as a result of this one injury that’s ‘practically nothing’.” Keith said. “Who knows when we’ll get an opportunity like this again? You need this, Shiro, and you know it.”

Shiro closed his eyes and accepted defeat.

*

Everything after that went relatively well; Allura readily agreed with the rest of the Paladins and expressed gratitude towards Snilia for her offer. The procedure was scheduled for two days later. Coran accompanied Shiro for the pre-op appointment the following day and the remaining Paladins scrambled to make sure that everything was ready for when Shiro was released from surgery.

The following morning, everyone was ready for the procedure to be over with, Shiro especially.

The Paladins and Alteans were told to wait in the waiting room while the nurses did Shiro’s in-take, then they were brought back to the pre-op room so that Pidge and Hunk could temporarily disable Shiro’s Galra arm as a safety precaution and so that they could stay with him until it was time for the surgery to begin.

As they followed the nurse, she quietly explained that they had already started sedating Shiro, with a warning that the drugs might mess with his head.

“Drug high Shiro,” Lance commented as the nurse opened the door, admitting the four Paladins while Allura and Coran took a moment to speak with Snilia and another doctor. “This should be great.”

It was not great.

Shiro barely seemed to acknowledge their entrance or their greetings.

“Hey, Shiro,” Pidge said, pulling over a chair. “Gotta see your arm, big guy, so Hunk and I can disable it.” She gently put her hand on his wrist, and he flinched slightly. She frowned, seeing that he wasn’t even looking at her, or at anyone really. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s just me and Hunk. We’ve done this before. Maybe you don’t remember that right now because you’ve got drugs in your system, but they’re nice drugs. Going to make you sleepy and stuff.”

“Yeah, man, if these meds are anything like the time I had my wisdom teeth you, you’re going to feel all floaty and stuff,” Hunk said as he passed Pidge a tool.

Keith frowned at seeing Shiro’s other hand tighten on the blankets. “Shiro? Are you okay?”

“Hey, buddy,” Lance said, adopting a soothing voice that he used with younger siblings and cousins, gently unclenching Shiro’s hand. “You’ve got a needle there in your hand, you’re going to hurt yourself. You’re okay, you know. Little nervous?”

“No…” Shiro mumbled.

“It’s okay to be nervous,” Lance continued. “But you know we’ll all be here when you—”

“No…” Shiro said again, louder.

Lance frowned and glanced over at Keith, who looked just as lost on what to do as Lance did.

There was a small clink from Shiro’s right side and Pidge said, “There we go, all good to—”

“NO!” Shiro said, suddenly, loudly, eyes wide as he started trying to get out of the bed. “No, no, no! Let me go! Please!”

Hunk put his hands on Shiro’s shoulders, trying to keep him from hurting himself, but that seemed to up Shiro’s panic, as did the fact that he could not move his right arm, as they watched him struggle to move the disabled mechanic limb.

“No! Please no! Don’t take it!” He shouted as a nurse entered the room, the calm in the storm as she went to Shiro’s left side, going for the IV there. “Please! No!”

“Shiro, it’s okay, no one’s going to take anything,” Lance said.

“Shiro, we’re here, calm down, it’s going to be al—” Keith started to say, but cut himself off when Shiro stopped struggling, looking at each of them, pleadingly, eyes darting frantically. In the midst of his panic and drug-induced fog, he seemed cognitive in that moment.

“Don’t leave me…” He whispered, his eyes sliding shut.

The four Paladins stood around the sleeping Shiro, completely shaken. The nurse, however, sighed slightly as she helped Hunk ease Shiro back.

“I gave him more sedation medicine,” She explained. “He’ll be fine, this sometimes happens with patients who are nervous, especially if they’ve encountered trauma in the past. Don’t worry; he probably won’t remember the panic attack when he wakes up.”

But Keith, Lance, Hunk and Pidge definitely would remember.

“He was so scared!” Pidge said, voice full of distress as she took a seat in the waiting room. “I feel so bad for him…”

“Oh quiznak,” Hunk said suddenly, eyes wide. “We should feel bad… Guys, I think we bullied Shiro into this…”

“He didn’t want to do this, no matter how good it is for him,” Lance said, swallowing. “Oh, God, he didn’t want this, and we talked him into it, and he did it even though he was scared. Because of us.”

“We are horrible people…” Hunk whispered.

This was the depressing party that Allura and Coran found themselves joining.

It was a very long two hours.

*

Snilia came out into the waiting room and instantly was surrounded by four emotionally distressed Paladins.

“Is Shiro okay?” Pidge asked.

“Is he awake?” Keith asked.

“Is he freaking out?” Hunk asked.

“Can we see him?” Lance asked.

Snilia smiled and chuckled. “Yes, somewhat, no, and yes, in that order.” She answered. “The procedure went very well, and Shiro is in the post-op recovery room right now. He is somewhat lucid at the moment, but we’ve seen no more instances of the panic attack he had earlier. You are more than welcome to go back there and see him.”

“Allura, Coran, you coming?” Hunk asked as a nurse started to lead them.

“You four go on ahead,” Allura said, smiling. “It may be a bit overwhelming if there are too many people around him at once.”

The four younger Paladins followed the nurse, feeling a bit anxious.

“Do you think he’s going to be mad at us?” Lance asked quietly. “Or not want to see us?”

“I don’t… I don’t know,” Keith said, suddenly feeling worried. What if Shiro didn’t want to see them, was upset for them coercing him into something he didn’t want?

The nurse led them to a room, where they saw Shiro sitting up slightly in the bed, still with white packing around his nose, which the nurse explained was to support the splints to realign his septum and catch any dripping blood.

“Go on in,” She encouraged. “Doctor Snilia will be back soon to see if he’s ready for discharge. The other nurses and myself will be in and out.”

With that, she left them. The Paladins quietly edged closer to Shiro’s bedside, feeling on edge. Shiro watched them lazily through sleepy eyes, blinking slowly.

“Hunk, come here,” He said suddenly. He sounded like he had a cold, which was understandable given the amount of fibrous substance that was packed around his nose.

Hunk gave the other three a confused glance, getting a shrug from Lance and Pidge and a slight hand wave from Keith before he walked over to Shiro’s side.

“Hey, man, how you feelin’?” Hunk asked.

Shiro turned his head slightly, tilted it, then adopted a very serious expression.

“Come here,” He said again, gesturing for Hunk to get in closer. Hunk did so, mostly because Shiro’s look was so intense.

Shiro and Hunk stared at each other for a moment, the former’s eyes narrowing slightly and the latter feeling very confused and a bit intimidated.

Then, Shiro lifted his hand….

And used his pointer finger to touch Hunk on the nose.

“Boop!” Shiro said, then he started laughing wildly.

“Uh…” Hunk said, mind a complete blank. What exactly did you do when your usually serious team leader booped you on the nose?

“Hunk, you have… You have the cutest nose in the whole wide universe,” Shiro said between laughs, keeping his hand on Hunk’s cheek. “So boopy! Best nose… Cute nose… I love your nose…”

“Uh, thanks?” Hunk said, feeling both flattered and even more confused than before. “So, you’re feeling okay, then?”

“I feel great!” Shiro said, grinning widely.

“You’re liking those pain meds, huh?” Keith said, smiling some as he visibly relaxed.

Shiro turned to him and his expression got even brighter. “Keith! Come here, buddy!”

Keith obliged, taking Hunk’s place at Shiro’s bedside. Shiro grabbed a fistful of Keith’s shirt and dragged him down, giving Keith a loud kiss on the cheek that made Keith turn red.

“Ugh, what was that for?” Keith asked, reaching up to rub his now wet cheek. “And be more careful, you know your nose is technically broken, right?”

“You.” Shiro said, booping Keith on the nose, apparently ignoring him. “You… You need love, you crazy little dessert hermit… You don’t get enough hugs, which is stupid, because you’re, like, tied for first with Hunk for the best hugger in the whole entire universe! Stupid people are… They’re stupid… Don’t know what they’re missing… But that’s okay, we’ll fix that, buddy, you’ll be okay, Keith… You’ll get the love you deserve… You won’t have to be a hobo ever again!”

Shiro squeezed Keith tight, and the Red Paladin looked like he might actually implode from embarrassment.

“Awww…” Hunk, Lance and Pidge said together, smirking at Keith’s expression and Shiro’s over-exuberant hugs.

“That’s so sweet,” Lance said, adopting a baby-talk voice as Keith glared daggers at him. “Gotta make sure little baby Keith gets his hugs…”

Shiro looked up, gave Keith another kiss on the cheek and said, “Lance, come here!”

Keith used the moment that Shiro used his arm to wave Lance over to escape. Lance snickered as Keith shoved past, pulling up the collar of his jacket to hide his mortification.

“Hey, Shiro,” Lance said. “What’s up?”

Shiro frowned slightly, narrowing his eyes, not looking at Lance’s face but rather his torso. Suddenly Shiro lifted a finger to start poking Lance in the stomach. Lance couldn’t help the giggles that escaped.

“C’mon, man, stop, that tickles!” He said, wrapping his arms around his stomach protectively.

“Where do you put it?” Shiro demanded, still frowning, still poking.

“Put what?” Lance asked, trying to gently shove Shiro’s hand away only for Shiro to go back to poking Lance’s belly.

“Food,” Shiro said, sounding distressed. “You’re a noddle. The noodliest noodle who ever noodled. Why are you a noodle, Lance? You shouldn’t be a noodle…” Lance let out a small yelp of surprise as Shiro pulled him into a hug as well. “Shouldn’t be a noodle… But that’s okay. Because you’re the best noodle… Good noodle…”

“Lance is a good noodle, never thought I’d ever hear anyone say that,” Pidge said snickering.

Shiro turned his head towards her, looking a bit dazed, then he broke into a smile again. “PIDGE!”

Lance laughed and gently ruffled Shiro’s hair. “Alright, it’s Pidgey’s turn for a hug.”

“Pidgey, Pidgey, Pidgey!” Shiro said excitedly as Lance moved so Pidge could come over. He reached up and pet her hair. “But you’re just a Pidgey… When will you evolve into a Pidgeotto? No, never mind, don’t want Pidgeotto… Want you as Pidgey forever!”

Pidge laughed, but the laugh was cut off as Shiro pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arm around her waist, pinning her so that her back was to his chest. Pidge’s cheeks were red as Shiro gently started petting her hair.

“You’re so small, Pidgey… So small… I could put you in my pocket, don’t need a Pokéball,” Shiro said. “Take you everywhere. For a Pidgey emergency… Pocket Pidge!”

“What constitutes as a ‘Pidgey emergency’?” Lance asked, not bothering to hide his smirk as Pidge glared daggers at him.

Shiro didn’t answer, continuing to grin as he put his chin on top of Pidge’s head, rocking back and forth contently.

Pidge rolled her eyes, but if this was all Shiro wanted, just wanted someone to cuddle, she’d gladly humor him.

But then he started to sing.

“ _Soft Pidgey, warm Pidgey, little ball of tech,_ ” Shiro sang. “ _Happy Pidgey, sleepy Pidgey, pet, pet, pet…_ ” He emphasized every ‘pet’ by gently giving her a pat on the head.

Lance couldn’t hold back his laughter at that point and doubled over at Pidge’s mortified expression. “Oh my God…”

Keith reached up to cover his smile, but couldn’t hold back his own snort of laughter.

“This is adorable,” Hunk said, grin splitting his face.

“Everybody sing!” Shiro encouraged. “ _Soft Pidgey, warm Pidgey, little ball of tech!_ ”

Lance was still laughing, but he managed to join in for the second verse. “ _Happy Pidgey, sleepy pidge, pet, pet, pet…_ ”

“Again! Everyone this time!” Shiro said. Hunk joined in and Pidge reluctantly added her voice on the second verse. Shiro frowned at Keith, sticking out his lower lip, eyes tearing up. “Please, Keith? Please sing?”

Everything in Keith was screaming NO!

But his mouth reluctantly opened and shakily started singing with the other four.

“ _Soft Pidgey, warm Pidgey, little ball of tech. Happy Pidgey, sleepy Pidgey, pet, pet, pet…_ ”

Once they finished singing, Shiro looked up and exclaimed, “Allura! Coran!”

The younger four Paladins’ eyes widened and cheeks flushed at the looks on the faces of Allura, Coran and Dr. Snilia.

“I’m so sorry, we didn’t mean to intrude on this… Human healing ritual?” Allura said.

“No, not a ritual, just a really high Shiro,” Lance said. “Who, uh, likes to sing. Apparently.”

“Ah,” Snilia said. “Well. In that case, do you mind if I examine Shiro? If there are no complications, he should be able to return to your ship in less than a varga.”

It took a bit of a struggle to get Shiro to release Pidge, but they succeeded. Snilia found no complications, and true to her word, Shiro was back at the Castle in less than a varga, settled in comfortably on a large bed in a room closer to the infirmary. He was being propped up and surrounded by nearly a dozen pillows and covered with a half-dozen blankets, and Hunk was helping him sip some tea, the mice curled up on Shiro’s lap.

“Alright, humidifier is up and running,” Lance said from the side of the bed as he pressed the on button.

“And so is your arm,” Pidge said as Shiro moved his fingers slightly.

“Thanks,” Shiro said. “You guys are so nice…”

“No, we’re not,” Keith said as he sat down on the bed beside Shiro. “We were kind of horrible to you. You didn’t want the surgery and we pressured you into it…”

“Wouldn’t have done it on my own,” Shiro said with a lazy shrug. “Would’ve kept putting it off… Thanks. For looking out for me…”

“It’s what you do for us,” Pidge said. “We just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“Imma gonna be alright,” Shiro said sleepily.

“We’ll leave you to rest, but is there anything you want or need before we go?” Lance asked.

Shiro looked thoughtful for a moment. “Yes.”

“Alright, say the word, and we’re on it,” Hunk said.

Shiro gave them another large, drug-induced grin as he exclaimed “DOGPILE!”

And that was why Allura and Coran found all five Paladins of Voltron curled up in bed together, fast asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> And.... That's all folks! Thanks to everyone who has read, left kudos, bookmarked and commented over the last week! It's been a blast!


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